Sports in Brief: Probe begins of allegations of wiretapping by Saints

State police and the FBI started a wiretapping probe into allegations the New Orleans Saints and general manager

Mickey Loomis

had his Superdome booth wired so he could listen to opposing coaches.

"It's absolutely ludicrous. It's impossible," said interim coach Joe Vitt. "I've never heard of it before. That's something from Star Wars.

The statute of limitations - six years under state wiretapping laws and five years under federal law - has passed.

ESPN reported that the system was in use from 2002 to 2004, but dismantled after Hurricane Katrina damaged the Superdome on the eve of the 2005 season.

In an emailed statement on Monday afternoon, Loomis said he wore an earpiece in his booth to listen to the local radio broadcast.

POLL: Forbes Magazine has ranked driver Jimmie Johnson the nation's most influential athlete for the second straight year.

After the former NASCAR champion, six of the 10 leaders are NFL quarterbacks, including Peyton and Eli Manning and Tim Tebow, who ranked second. Also on the list are Jeremy Lin, Manny Pacquiao, Drew Brees, Aaron Rodgers. Johnson was also joined on the list by his Hendrick Motorsports teammate Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Forbes used Nielsen and E-Poll to survey more than 1,100 adults.

SOCCER: Chelsea eliminated defending champion Barcelona and reached the Champions League final with a grueling 2-2 tie in Spain, winning the semifinal round, 3-2, on aggregate goals, despite playing most of the game a man short.

Chelsea will seek its first Champions League title in the May 19 final. Real Madrid is home Wednesday against Bayern Munich in the other semi.

Playing a man short after captain John Terry was given a red card in the 37th for fouling Alexis Sanchez, Chelsea rallied as Ramires scored on a lob over goalkeeper Victor Valdes in first-half injury time. That tied the aggregate and gave Chelsea the advantage on away goals.

"I feel as I let them down, I've apologized to them," said Terry, who must miss the final. "Looking at the replay, it does look like a red card."

Fernando Torres sealed the win when he scored on a breakaway in the first minute of stoppage time.

Britain's Olympic soccer coach Stuart Pearce will travel to the United States next week to watch David Beckham play for the Los Angeles Galaxy before deciding whether to select the 36-year-old midfielder for the London Games. British soccer will compete in the Olympics for the first time since 1960.

NOTEWORTHY: Andy Murray defeated Sergiy Stakhovsky, 6-3, 6-2, in the second round of the Barcelona Open.

John L. Smith, 63, who was an assistant for Arkansas the last three seasons under the fired Bobby Petrino, was introduced as head coach after leaving the school in December to become the head coach at Weber State.

Israel asked the International Olympic Committee to honor the Israeli team members who were killed by Palestinian terrorists at the 1972 Munich Games.

A June 16 fight between WBC world middleweight champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. and Andy Lee will not happen in El Paso as scheduled after University of Texas chancellor Francisco Cigarroa blocked the use of the Sun Bowl, promoters said. Cigarroa cited security concerns over border violence.

Mardy Fish is not certain when he'll return to the tennis tour and says he could miss the French Open. Fish, ranked No. 9 in the world, is still coping with fatigue and has not competed since March 29.

- Staff and wire reports